#MeToo in the office: pay attention to women
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
April 11, 2018
My family often sits down together on holidays or birthdays to have dinner — served by the women — at my grandmother's house. After dinner, the table is crowded with leftovers, dirty dishes and empty glasses. The women all stand up from the table to walk around, pick up the dirty dishes and go to t...
Editorial: Pa. abortion law will fail to catch fallout
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 11, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Even though the Supreme Court declared abortion a constitutional right 45 years ago with Roe v. Wade, Pennsylvania House of Representatives Speaker Mike Turzai seemingly pushed against that decision Monday. The Republican lawmaker unveiled a controversial bill in front of the Health Committee that wo...
Remember Rana Plaza by shopping ethically
By Sandra Fairclough | For The Pitt News
April 10, 2018
At a textile factory in Dhaka District, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, workers were beginning to worry. Increasing evidence warned them that the building was unsafe — such as cracks in the walls and structural shaking. Most were nervous to return to their jobs. But their employers told them th...
Editorial: Erie diocese’s list of abusers demonstrates openness to change
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 9, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie has started the month off by releasing a list of 34 priests and 17 laypeople who it believes have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct over the past several decades. The majority of the accused were never criminally ch...
“Blockers” breaks with problematic tropes
By Delilah Bourque | For The Pitt News
April 8, 2018
When I had the opportunity two weeks ago to see “Blockers” on campus before the release date, I dragged my friends out with me, ready to be disgusted. We all shared similar sentiments about how the movie looked generally pretty bad. In the age of #MeToo, the Women’s March and other rising femini...
Editorial: PA GOP has no room to talk on negative ads
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 8, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
If feel-good positivity is your thing, you probably already know not to go looking for it in Pennsylvania state politics. But if you needed a reminder, Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Mango was ready to help this weekend. Mango, who’s hoping to win the GOP primary May 15 and go on to challenge in...
Letter to the Editor: Parran’s name opposes public health values
April 6, 2018
Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinions
To the entire Pitt and Pittsburgh community: We would like to respond to the Thomas Parran panel. Dr. Susan Reverby argued at the panel that just removing his name from the building allows us to forget what he did and how we might be susceptible to similar ethical violations. However, under the status quo, the forgett...
“Superstar” showing devalues meaning of Easter
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
April 6, 2018
Imagine you’re watching an image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ — one of the most dramatic moments in the Christian faith — on your TV screen. Now add in a crowd of screaming, cheering fans. How do you feel? If you were a Christian watching NBC’s broadcast of “Jesus Christ Superstar Li...
Brookline Las Palmas takes laid-back approach to Mexican food
By Jeremy Wang | Senior Columnist
April 5, 2018
As I crossed the Monongahela River and into the tunnel under Mount Washington, I realized I was entering into a part of Pittsburgh — the South Hills — I’d never seen before. Driving up a steep road into the neighborhood of Brookline, the surroundings were cold, windy and empty — with the ex...
Labels — even hyphenated ones — don’t tell the whole story
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
April 3, 2018
After being introduced as a lover of the Constitution, Satvika Neti tripped onto the stage in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Saturday afternoon, sporting a white “We the people” undershirt. Neti was one of five speakers at Saturday’s TEDx event, which focused on a single topic — Rethin...
Editorial: Justin Baldoni’s feminism is too male-focused
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 3, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Students passing through the William Pitt Union last week may have noticed a sign announcing a University-sponsored talk with television actor and speaker Justin Baldoni. But unless they looked any closer, it’s unlikely anyone realized what he was invited for — Women’s Empowerment Week. Baldoni, w...
Women in STEM events demolish discrimination
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
April 3, 2018
When it comes to the major revenue-generating sources, it’s no secret that women face disadvantages in the workforce. And when it comes to STEM fields, this gender gap is even wider. With men holding the majority of STEM-related careers, I don’t need to be a STEM major to know the struggle women ...
Editorial: Not enforcing State pension forfeiture laws wastes tax dollars
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 3, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
It’s no secret that Pennsylvania public schools have a deficit that seems to get larger and larger as the gap in federal funding widens between poor and affluent districts. Many lay off or threaten to lay off teachers and cut funding for music and theater arts programs. In an environment like this...
Letter to the Editor: Pitt Dhirana
April 3, 2018
Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinions
To the Editor, Thank you for writing an article about Pitt Dhirana. It was exciting to wake up Monday morning and see the event we’ve worked for all year on the front page. That being said, as members of the Dhirana 2018 board, we find it necessary to respond to the article titled, “Dhirana danc...
Editorial: Don’t let Remington fool you
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 2, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Forcing a gun manufacturer into declaring bankruptcy might sound like an undeniable victory for gun control activists — particularly when that manufacturer is Remington, America’s oldest gun manufacturer, and when that announcement came just one day after the March for Our Lives March 24. But...
Church needs more than the Bible to convince an atheist
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
April 2, 2018
As I nervously opened the large glass doors of North Way Christian Community last Sunday and stepped inside, I looked around and breathed a sigh of relief — jeans were indeed an acceptable clothing choice. People drinking coffee and sitting at tables before the service started upstairs gave an almost...
‘Little House on the Prairie’ offers modern-day reflection
By Mariam Shalaby | Senior Columnist
March 30, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
Seeking respite from a relentless flu last month, I took my childhood favorite “Little House on the Prairie” from my bookshelf. Curling up on the couch, I wondered what kept drawing me back to the story I’ve loved since I was a young girl. I chuckled. What could I, an Egyptian-Chinese daughter of Muslim...
Scandals trump news that matters
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
March 29, 2018
You may or may not have heard about the school shooting that took place last week at Great Mills High School in Maryland. Two students were shot, and the teenage murderer committed suicide briefly after. The day of the shooting, my friend in the area was shocked and feared for her community. But when s...
Editorial: Citizenship question on 2020 census could cut PA funding
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 29, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
It’s no secret that for undocumented immigrants and other noncitizens, life can be rough under President Donald Trump’s administration. As of Monday, it just got significantly tougher. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a new component of the 2020 census Monday night, requiring that Americ...
Women in STEM initiatives push flawed focus
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
March 28, 2018
As a female actuarial mathematics student, you don’t have to tell me that my gender puts me in the minority in my academic field. That’s why I’m never surprised when feminist activists point out the gender gap in STEM — what really loses me is how they tell me I should feel about it. Univ...
Editorial: Biden Twitter bout promises more brash leadership
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 27, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
For those who fear a woman would be too emotional to be president, last Thursday’s Twitter scrap between two men — one currently in that position, one potentially the next in line — might change their minds. Behaving characteristically like an upset toddler, President Donald Trump called out f...
What I learned from Chris Dayer
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
March 27, 2018
The smile on my face didn’t wear off for at least half an hour after the last time I saw Chris Dayer, the week before spring break. Chris, his girlfriend Amanda and I had met for a late lunch after our classes had ended for the day. I hadn’t seen either in a few weeks, and despite having known h...
Editorial: Santorum surrenders to chaos on gun control
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 27, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
For most of the participants at anti-gun violence marches in cities across the country Saturday, there was a broad agreement: Gun laws are currently too lax, and we need to tighten them up to avoid future carnage. Some people, however, were busy proposing bizarre alternatives to gun control. ...
‘Salam Neighbor’ affirms that personal relationships are gateway to change
By Julia Kadis | For The Pitt News
March 23, 2018
Think back to your favorite memories of elementary school. Some of them probably have nothing to do with learning at all — recess, snow days, early releases. Many of us loved the breaks from working and would always be thinking about the next time we’d be able to relax. Most of us, however, also had the privilege ...
Editorial: PA GOP’s impeachment efforts threaten democracy
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 22, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Ever since they redistricted in 2013 after winning the state legislature, Pennsylvania Republicans have played ball by their own set of rules — and now that those rules are being threatened, they’re going after the refs. The Commonwealth’s GOP suffered a serious blow to its continued hold on ...
HACP listens to community housing concerns
By Delilah Bourque | For The Pitt News
March 21, 2018
There are about 2,500 households in Pittsburgh right now that’ve been waiting — and waiting and waiting. These families are on a waiting list that closed in 2015 for rent subsidies in the form of a housing voucher. Housing Choice Vouchers are a hot commodity, and the City of Pittsburgh knows ...
Editorial: Union’s attack on Sonja Finn unnecessary, harms restaurant
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 21, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
When Sonja Finn makes her daily trip to open the doors of Dinette — the restaurant she opened in 2008 — she won’t be thinking about the special election race she lost to Erika Strassburger on March 6. She’s more concerned with the union that endorsed Strassburger’s campaign, which may be si...
Republicans: Step up to stop Haspel, Pompeo
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
March 20, 2018
Headlines flashing over cable news networks last week might have given you 2017 deja vu. Last January, it was President Donald Trump’s nomination of then-Kansas Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo for the position of CIA director. Eyeing Pompeo’s ambivalence on civil rights issues like the use of torture and dom...
Editorial: “No Irish” pub misses the point on St. Patrick’s Day
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 20, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Pretending to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day is a time-honored American tradition. But at one pub this year, the luck of the Irish wasn’t on the side of drinkers who wanted in because of their Celtic heritage. To honor the holiday, Detroit resident Dan Margulis rented out a space over the weeken...
PA liquor laws leave students, citizens to dry
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
March 19, 2018
udeIt’s St. Patrick’s Day, and you’re struggling to maneuver around the sticky, crowded dance floor in a stranger’s cramped basement. Someone bumps into you, causing you to almost spill the beer in your right hand. But you don’t care — these kinds of party scenes in college are common. A...
Editorial: Pitt’s union lawsuit wastes time, tuition
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 18, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions, Top Stories
If insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result, then administrators at Pitt must not agree with that definition. Pitt graduate students engaged in unionization efforts said last week that the school’s administration will challenge a petition to hold an election to decide whether or not to unionize. According to a Facebook post from the group, th...
Editorial: Casual Friday — the Shamrock Shake debate
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 16, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
So, Shamrock Shakes — let’s get one thing straight. The Shamrock Shake is not a middle-of-the-road food group. One cannot simply “take it or leave it.” Whether you think the shake is a collision of toothpaste and green highlighter fluid with a milkshake base or a blended miracle sent from...
Letter to the Editor | Is Pitt practicing what it preaches?
March 16, 2018
Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinions
Pitt’s investment in immunotherapy cancer treatment is clearly in line with the University’s mission. But a growing number of students and faculty are calling on Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher and the Board of Trustees to address a number of glaring investments and disinvestments that stand i...
Arming teachers takes a step in the wrong direction
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
March 15, 2018
Teachers have a long list of supplies they absolutely need for their classrooms: poster boards, markers, textbooks, pencils and now — if President Donald Trump has his way — guns. With recent debates over the best way to approach mass shootings, some Americans believe the best way to protect against...
Editorial: Third parties show need for all candidates to step it up
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 15, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
If any aspect of the massively hyped special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District went unnoticed, it was Libertarian Party candidate Drew Miller. After a preliminary count of the ballots cast Tuesday, Miller emerged with a paltry 1,379 votes — slightly more than half a percent of all votes cast in the election, which would usually relegate a ca...
Editorial: DeVos’ poor school choices affect PA public school success
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 14, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Betsy DeVos said it herself — “We should be funding and investing in students.” A student focus is certainly necessary, and the statement would have been fine on its own had she not followed it up with the ear-twinging modifier, “not in schools, school buildings, not in institutions, not in syste...
It’s Pi Day, again. And no one cares, again — except some.
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
March 14, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Top Stories
Growing up, every child has their favorite holiday. Maybe it’s Halloween — dressing up in frightening costumes, parading around the neighborhood to collect bite-sized goodies from generous neighbors. For many more, it’s Christmas, a day characterized by torn-apart, decorated wrapping paper and exciti...
Editorial: Keep a local focus on special election
By The Pitt News Staff
March 13, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
When President Donald Trump appeared at a Pittsburgh airplane hangar Saturday night, his role, ostensibly, was to pump up the assembled crowds to vote for Rick Saccone, the Republican running in today’s special election to fill the vacant seat in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. Bu...
Special election signals shifting national politics
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
March 12, 2018
Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District, a slice of pro-President Donald Trump territory located just south of Pittsburgh, is poised to flip from Republican to Democratic in today’s special election. Democrat Conor Lamb, a 33-year-old former Marine, may snag the seat from Republican Rick Sacco...
Editorial: Unplugging from media ignores civic responsibilities
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 12, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions, Uncategorized
Whether it’s reports of an adult film performer’s lawsuit against the president or the all-too-consistent drumbeat of mass shootings in the country, following the news is becoming more and more an exercise in mental strength. In an environment like this, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to react in mu...
Buffalo to Belize: Vignettes from spring break
By The Pitt News Staff
March 12, 2018
Hot takes painting college students as overgrown babies aside, it’s hard work studying at a school like Pitt — and we all need a break every now and again. Whether we sought out our reprieves from schoolwork at home or abroad, we here on the Opinions section staff took full advantage of our week off to esc...
Poetry: Rainy days
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
Rain runs down the misted windowpane, slide, slick, slip liquid lengthening, water accumulating from a drop to a drip, bumping together, absorbing one into the other. Pitter-patter against the glass. Dangerous clouds rumble in the distance. Lightning strikes, but only once...
Poetry: A game of snakes
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
I slide my red and yellow headphones onto my head, the cushions covering my ears, and I plug myself in. I push play to begin the game. Music slips into my ears from both sides of my headphones, a literal earworm entering my brain. The notes caress my inner ear before sp...
Poetry: The fourth estate is media
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
A heavy stack sits in my hands but the true burden is elsewhere. The thin paper is curled at the edges, a fresh, virgin-white newspaper not yet yellowed by time's cruel curse. It speaks of the future, of achieving an age of perfection, yet I know we will never reach such a time. It...
Focus on policy to fight climate change
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
March 1, 2018
Pitt students, alumni and environmental enthusiasts arrived at the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Monday to hear Steven Cohen give a lecture on climate change. Cohen is an unassuming New York City professional dressed in a black suit, black shoes and a striped tie. And behind his appearance are imm...
Editorial: Conservatives show hypocrisy on Delta tax
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 1, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The aftermath of the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre the past two weeks has been fraught with departures from long-standing political norms. Republican President Donald Trump called for comprehensive gun control measures at a televised White House meeting yesterday, suggesting the governmen...
Don’t pin blame on violent games
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
February 28, 2018
Imagine being able to punch a ninja through the chest, rip out their heart and then squeeze it to drink the remaining blood left for nourishment. All it takes is two fatal words — “finish him” — to violently kill an opponent this way while playing “Mortal Kombat.” In fact, the violence in t...
Editorial: 60 Minutes’ sexist interview with New Zealand PM
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 28, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
President Donald Trump is known for his off-the-cuff remarks in speeches and interviews, but it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see the day when laundry or his baby’s birth is the topic up for discussion. When you sit down to watch an interview with a world leader, you expect to hear question...
How Trump uses language to divide
By Maggie Durwald | Columnist
February 27, 2018
We are no longer a nation of immigrants. In fact, it seems we’d rather not entertain the tired, poor and huddled masses — or their better-off, more educated peers — at all. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said as much in an email sent out to staff Feb. 22, announcing that it would be ...
Editorial: CNN can step up its coverage
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 27, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Whether it’s TMZ, Buzzfeed or the National Inquirer, we Americans love celebrity gossip. And in the age of President Donald Trump’s tabloid presidency, it seems only natural that more mainstream news outlets — like CNN — would want in on the game. That’s why it came as little surprise yest...
Progressives: stick to debating issues, not insults
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
February 26, 2018
Across the country, from college campuses to TV stations to Washington, D.C., political tension has reached a fever pitch. Wednesday’s “Redistribution of Wealth” debate at the William Pitt Union aptly reflected the growing ideological divide in the United States today — in this case, economi...
Editorial: Trudeau demonstrates skin-deep commitment to diversity
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 26, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Travelers in a foreign country have two options — they can learn the culture and blend in, or they can fake it until they make it. And while it’s impossible to know which strategy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took on his official visit to India, it’s clear he didn’t make it. Trudeau...
Friday Fly: The Pitt News
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
February 22, 2018
“Friday Fly” is a recurring column dedicated to a fly on the wall’s perspective on campus spots and daily life here at Pitt. This is the fourth installment. The Pitt News is not a typical workplace. For most of the students who churn out the daily paper, there is no such thing as a short shi...
Cartoon: February 23, 2018
By Daniel Spack | Staff Illustrator
February 22, 2018
Filed under Cartoons, Opinions, Uncategorized
Lamb misses the mark on gun issues
By Jeremy Wang | Senior Columnist
February 22, 2018
Southwestern Pennsylvania loves its guns. And for many Democrats outside Pittsburgh’s City limits, that part of the region’s culture has become a stumbling block to winning public office. Throughout his campaign, Conor Lamb — the Democratic candidate for March’s special election in Pennsyl...
Editorial: After shooting, student walkouts lead the way
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 22, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Florida’s state legislature disappointed gun control advocates Monday when it declined to consider a ban on the assault weapon used in last week’s high school massacre in Parkland, Florida. But for students, both in the state and around the country, that wasn’t the end of the story. From Minnes...
#YouToo: Bosses, Take Action for Your Employees
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
February 21, 2018
You’re a young person, freshly starting your career and beginning to make a name for yourself. You are entrusted with big tasks, like handling confidential material, managing the business’ account and leading the new public relations campaign. Now, imagine that, like an unfortunate mirror of your own accomp...
Editorial: Despite new district map, parties still responsible for success
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 21, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The Supreme Court released a new Pennsylvania Congressional District map Monday, redrawn to correct the state’s 2011 Republican-drawn version of the map, which the Supreme Court ruled as being an “unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.” Democrats feel encouraged by the new map, while Republicans are understandably concerned this new congressional map...
Letter to the Editor: Student voters responsible for turnout rate
By Student Government Board
February 21, 2018
Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinions
Dear Editor, As the current president and elections chairwoman of the Student Government Board, we feel compelled to respond to Tuesday’s opinion piece titled “Student election interest starts with SGB slates.” While we agree voter turnout should be significantly higher and more students should have their voices heard, the article inclu...
Student election interest starts with SGB slates
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
February 20, 2018
It wasn’t until Monday of last week that I realized it was election season for Student Government Board. I, along with all 19,325 of my peers, are responsible today for voting in a new student body president who will be a voice for all undergraduates on campus. Although I thought the reason I d...
Editorial: “Black Panther” sets standard for Hollywood inclusion
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 20, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
If pop culture in the 2010s is remembered for anything, it’ll have to be superhero movies. Marvel, DC and smaller franchises have populated the silver screen with countless heroes over the past several years, almost all of them white — until last weekend, that is. “Black Panther,” a Marvel Studios produc...
Editorial: The Pitt News endorses Maggie Kennedy for Student Government Board President
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 19, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions, Top Stories
Candidates for the position of Student Government Board president run campaigns every year, requiring them to sit down with any number of student organizations, clubs and social groups and explain their case. With election day right around the corner, this year’s two candidates met with one more gr...
Florida shooting should be a wake up call
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
February 19, 2018
Valentine’s Day is usually a holiday of showing care and appreciation for loved ones — but for many living in South Florida, it was a day of mourning and loss. February 14, 2018, just became a day marking one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old who had previ...
Biden begs the presidential question
By Maggie Durwald | Columnist
February 16, 2018
I settled into my seat at the Carnegie Music Hall Monday night, surrounded by cheering audience members, whose exclamations of “Run, Joe, run!” rang throughout the hall. Former Vice President Joe Biden had arrived in Pittsburgh. Biden’s 27th and final stop on his American Promise Tour took him to the Steel City Monday to talk about his ...
Vagina Monologues take on tired taboos
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
February 15, 2018
Mere feet in front of me, a confident, talented, inspiring woman stood on stage, moaning before the audience in the William Pitt Union. She was holding a flogger in her hands and wearing nothing but red underpants, a garter belt and a blue blazer. I saw this woman in front of an audience Saturday night, not jus...
Editorial: Presidential portrait captures Obama’s presidency
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 15, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Among a sea of white faces belonging to former commanders in chief, Barack Obama marked a decisive change in what an American president looked like 10 years ago when he won his first term. And with the unveiling of his official presidential portrait Monday, the nation’s first black president is continuing to affect the visual pr...
Single and ready to … stay that way
By Vaibhavi Patria | Columnist
February 14, 2018
It took me until my sophomore year to finally give up my need to be in a relationship. In the past, I constantly felt an urgency to date or be in committed relationships rather than casual ones. When I was dating people, I never truly felt happy and secure. But during the times I wasn’t dating, I...
Climate lawsuits point way for greener future
By Bryn Manion | For The Pitt News
February 13, 2018
Massive storm clouds raining torrents of water down on lower Manhattan, completely submerging subway cars. Huge plumes of smoke and fire, turning the sky orange over the hills alarmingly close to Los Angeles. The scenes of towns ravaged by hurricanes are reminiscent of an apocalyptic world. Cities...
Editorial: Don’t take hugging controversies lightly
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 13, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
With Valentine’s Day being tomorrow, romantic gestures are rapidly proliferating across the country. One particular gesture, however, has been receiving unexpected new scrutiny: the hug. In a piece for The Washington Post this Sunday, reporter Lavanya Ramanathan asked whether some kinds of hugging — an ancient human behavior that’s seen an uptick over the past several decades — should be included in the growing conversation surrounding sexual abuse. Citing...
esports make natural addition to Olympics
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
February 11, 2018
It’s the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Two combatants pick up pieces of plastic laced with electrical current and various input chambers. They do not face each other directly, but they fight on a screen — as Pikachu and Mario, respectively. This fight will decide who wins the 2026 Olympic Winter Ga...
Editorial: Credit Pence for stand on North Korea
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 11, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The last time Mike Pence made a political statement at a sporting event, he criticized pro football players for kneeling through the national anthem — but the vice president was the one sitting on his hands this weekend in Korea. Pence was in Pyeongchang, South Korea, at the end of last week, accompanying...
Columnists’ careers in a college cocoon: vignettes from the opinions section
By The Pitt News Staff
February 9, 2018
We here at The Pitt News occupy a difficult space. For us, Pitt is both a presence in our classrooms as an educator and in our columns as an organization we have to keep accountable. We aren’t quite a club — TPN is independent from the University — and yet our location in the William Pitt Union keeps...
Seniors, take heart as graduation nears
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
February 9, 2018
Waking up at 9 a.m., my mind immediately goes to the activities of the day. When am I going to fit in time for meals? What homework did I forget? What am I going to do for the rest of my life? As a senior, I’ve gotten used to the pace of life in college — including gratuitously late wake-up ti...
Saying #MeToo in the streets, not just the tweets
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
February 8, 2018
Me too. Me too. Me too. It’s been all over the news. It’s been all over your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds. As sexual assault survivors of all identities continue to speak out about their stories, it’s easy to get caught up in the increasingly visible culture of feminism and girl pow...
Editorial: Military parade an exercise in wastefuleness
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 8, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Though he was democratically elected, President Donald Trump seems to relish every opportunity to look like an autocrat. His first year in office has seen everything from attacks on the free press to a resilient personality cult — soon, he’ll even get a military parade. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed at a pre...
Opioid memorial etches abuse into public eye
By Charlotte Couch | For The Pitt News
February 7, 2018
At “Prescribed to Death,” an opioid memorial in the William Pitt Union, a steady flow of people moved through the room in a respectful silence. People saw a large, black wall dotted with small white pills, and a screen with a number in the thousands growing higher by the second. The memorial ma...
Editorial: Wolf’s budget is progressive, but needs Democratic legislature to pass
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 7, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled the fourth yearly budget of his term Tuesday — and unlike his previous three, we might actually see it fully passed before the end of the year thanks to the 2018 midterm elections. The 2018-19 budget is notably progressive — Wolf is calling to raise both funding for publi...
Don’t paint Greek Life with single stroke
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
February 6, 2018
I distinctly remember my first night at college, standing awkwardly in the basement of an off-campus house packed with strangers. Lost in a trance, watching drunken mobs of people make fools of themselves, I was brought back to reality when I was aggressively shoved by an incoherent stranger who spil...
Editorial: Cynical Super Bowl ad shows superficial concern for civil rights
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 6, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
When he first delivered his “Drum Major Instinct” sermon Feb. 4, 1968, at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr. had little way of knowing how his speech would come across in the moment — let alone 50 years in the future. The civil rights icon likely never foresaw a sound bite of the s...
Editorial: Peduto’s Amazon optimism dangerous for City
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 5, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Mayor Bill Peduto is gazing into Pittsburgh’s future as a possible home for Amazon’s HQ2 wearing what appears to be a pair of rose-colored glasses. The proposition of a $5 billion economic bolster sits untouched in the distance, a prize Pittsburgh and 19 other cities are ruthlessly racing toward ...
State of the Union guests are people, not props
By Maggie Durwald | Columnist
February 5, 2018
From war veterans to heroic police officers to victims of gang violence, President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address last week provided the kind of emotions and theatrics one would expect from a reality TV showman of his caliber. He introduced a lineup of tragic and inspiring stories from American ...
Shock over memes doesn’t mean much
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
February 2, 2018
When news broke last week that some members of Pitt College Republicans were participating in a private GroupMe that shared racist memes, headlines may as well have read, “College students say something racist — again.” A Twitter account called “Racists @ Pitt” published screenshots from the ...
Pitt: Then and Now (Part 4)
By Liam McFadden | Staff Illustrator
February 2, 2018
Filed under Cartoons, Opinions
...
Editorial: Cleveland mascot’s departure signals good first step
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 1, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
With statues of Confederate generals removed across the South last summer and likenesses of Christopher Columbus vandalized across the North last October, it was only a matter of time before the next symbol of racism in America came down. This time, it was in our own backyard. The Cleveland India...
In Aziz Ansari’s wake, don’t get confused about consent
By Anne Marie Yurik | For The Pitt News
February 1, 2018
“It was sexual harassment.” “It was just bad sex.” “She should share her experiences.” “She’s a weak woman.” “Speaking out about this was anti-feminist.” “Something like this shouldn’t ruin his career.” Reactions varied wildly after feminist website babe.net published a story in mid...
Editorial: Trump calls for unity, shows none
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 31, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
President Donald Trump took a brief hiatus from Twitter Tuesday night to deliver his first State of the Union address, touting high hopes for unity across his audience — which seemed divided and stiff with discomfort. It took no more than a wide pan of the camera around the room for Nancy Pelosi...
NFL: heighten safety or hamper the game
By Will Schulman | Columnist
January 31, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
Getting into formation with teammates, you stare across the field at the quarterback's eyes and hear him shout “Green 18” and “54’s the mike,” signaling players to move around the field. A few seconds later, a crisp “set...hike!” cuts through the noise — the game has begun. Now you...
Hold Greek Life to a higher standard
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
January 30, 2018
From Penn State to Florida State, colleges across the country have been joining an ever-lengthening list of schools with recent high-profile fraternity fatalities tarnishing their records. And just last week, Pitt nearly joined that list, too. A member of the Sigma Chi fraternity chapter on campus was hospi...
Editorial: Supervised sites won’t solve PA’s heroin problem
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 30, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
A proposal that would have been absurd only 10 years ago almost seemed to make sense this week when officials in Philadelphia suggested drastic measures to combat the growing opioid abuse epidemic afflicting the city — and the entire country. Philadelphia Public Health Commissioner Thomas Farley announced ...
Education can eradicate the health care gap
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
January 29, 2018
Americans of all walks of life held their breath last year as Republicans tried over and over again to ram bills through Congress to repeal Obamacare. Health care policy is notoriously difficult to pass — and not without reason. Not only does it impact every single American, regardless of age, soci...
Editorial: Trump, Conway misstate facts on feminism
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 29, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
In an era of women’s marches, the #MeToo trend and fourth-wave feminism, it’s astonishing how frequently the movement for women’s rights is still widely misunderstood. And President Donald Trump took the opportunity this weekend to exemplify the intellectual disconnect. After an interview Saturday with the preside...
Poetry: January 23-24
By Alexis Buncich | For The Pitt News
January 26, 2018
In spring, we walk to class in miniskirts; we’ve got our books in hand. Everything seems swell outside, the weather at our command. Runners jogging in the park, the warmth remains when it turns dark, and every decision appears to be a complete, brand-new start. In spring, the l...
Poetry: RIP Merriam-Webster
By Maggie Koontz | Columnist
January 26, 2018
Our dusty dictionary sits unused on the bottom shelf of the five-level mahogany bookcase. Once important for teaching us children the words we didn't know yet, it filled our dirty hands, as we put pencil smudges on the page, but now we've got the internet. Mom bought...
Poetry: Phipps Conservatory
By Maggie Koontz | Columnist
January 26, 2018
My lover is like a cactus. His prickly spines deter others. He lives in the dry desert room, surrounded by sand, under the hot sun. I wish I could visit him, but I am planted in a different room. I am a daisy in a garden, held captive in a conservatory, in humid tasteless air, surrounded by other flower...
‘Black Mirror’ reflects cruel U.S. crime system
By Will Schulman | Columnist
January 25, 2018
Growing up was difficult enough with two living parents — I can’t imagine reaching adulthood with only one of them. What’s truly unimaginable, though, is growing up with your parent’s consciousness trapped inside a stuffed monkey. If this sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, you’re cl...